This award recognizes the recipient’s outstanding vision, leadership and dedication demonstrated during their affiliation with the NCBFAA on behalf of the international transportation logistics community.

Mary Ann Comstock – April 22, 2015

Now retired, Mary Ann Comstock was a licensed Customs Broker and the U.S. Northern Border Compliance Manager for UPS Supply Chain Solutions. She resides in Sweet Grass, MT. Ms. Comstock represented Area 1 on the NCBFAA Board of Directors and was a member of the NCBFAA Bylaws Committee. She is a Certified Customs Specialist with the NCBFAA. Mary Ann recently completed her second and final term on the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs & Border Protection. She served as the co-chair of the One US Government at the Border, was appointed to a number of other COAC subcommittees and work groups, including Antidumping & Countervailing Duty, Global Supply Chain Security – Land Border Initiatives, Role of the Broker and Trade Facilitation.

Ms. Comstock has been very active in the Northern Border Customs Brokers Association (NBCBA) for the last 35 years. She has been honored to serve several terms as the NBCBA President, and the NBCBA Secretary and Treasurer. Her brokerage experience began with W.Y. Moberly, Inc., a small regional brokerage firm located in Sweet Grass, MT. She received her Customs Brokerage License in 1978. She served as the Corporate Secretary for W.Y. Moberly, Inc., from 1980 to 1990, when she became President. In 2001, UPS Customhouse Brokerage acquired W.Y. Moberly, Inc. She served as the Mountain region manager as the integration of numerous firms acquired by UPS took place. She assumed a new role in 2004 and became the U.S. Northern Border Compliance Manager - the role she fills today.

Ken Bargteil - April 10, 2013

Professionally, Ken Bargteil is Chairman Emeritus and Area 3 Member of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America Customs Committee, recently completing an unprecedented 10-year term as Chairman of that Committee. He also Chairs the ACE Strategy Task Group and the Part 111 Rewrite Core Committee. He provides counsel to the NCBFAA Board of Directors as Senior Advisor, having termed out in 2010 after 4 consecutive 2-year terms on the Board representing the Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia Region. He was a Charter Member of the NCBFAA Educational Institute Policy and CCS Content Committee and currently serves as its Chairman.

He is also a Charter Member of the Large Broker and Forwarder Committee, and has served 10 years on the NCBFAA Annual Conference Committee. Ken leads the NCBFAA delegation at the Customs and Border Protection’s Trade Support Network, serves as a Trade Ambassador, TSN Charter Member on the: Trade Leadership, Revenue, Legal & Policy, Supply Chain Security 10 + 2 and Steering Committees, and he Chairs the TSN Liquidation Subcommittee.

He began his career as a messenger for a small Baltimore customs brokerage and freight forwarding company, advancing within Kuehne + Nagel, Inc. from Baltimore import department manager to corporate Vice President, a position he has held for 31 of his 33 years with this company. As Associate Line Manager he grew the company’s customs brokerage business unit by 700%, currently supervises more than 85 licensed professionals as its licensed officer, and has exercised leadership in the fields of trade and regulatory compliance, corporate governance, business ethics, anti-trust, anti-bribery, sustainability, safety and health and continuous improvement.

Harold Brauner– April 6, 2011

As Chairman of the Board of Brauner International Corp., Harold Brauner still takes an \a active part in the direction of the company, a family owned business started by his father, Curt, in 1931. The company serves the international trade community as a Custom Broker, an Ocean Transport Intermediary, and an Airfreight Forwarder. He began his career in the Customs Brokerage business at an early age when he started working for his father at the age of twelve as a messenger. He earned his Custom Broker License, and his Federal Maritime Forwarders License. Upon the death of his father, Curt, in 1969, he took over the presidency of Brauner International. He served as President for 37 years, until he became the Chairman in 2006 and his son, Matthew became the President.

He served as President of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association from 1992 to 1994 and as Chairman of the Board from 1994 to 1998. Previously he also held the position of Treasurer for 12 years. He is presently a member of the board as Senior Counselor. He was President and Chairman of the Board of the N.Y., N.J. Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association. He served for 12 years as a member of the board of the American Exporters and Importers Association. He was one of the members of the committee that designed the “ACES” computer system of the Port Authority of NY and NJ. He has lectured on Customs Brokerage and Freight Forwarding at the American Management Association, SUNY College and other forums on international trade. He spoke to the Japan International Freight Forwarders Association in Tokyo in March 1988.

He attended Xavier High School in Manhattan, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy at Fordham University. Upon graduation he was called to active duty U.S. Army, serving in Korea during the hostilities there in 1952/53. He rose to the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army Transportation Corp.

Peter H. Powell, Sr. - April 14, 2010

Peter H. Powell, Sr., graduated in 1956 from the College of the Holy Cross, where he earned a B.S. degree in business administration. After college, he served for three years in the U.S. Air Force as radar intercept officer.

Subsequent to his military service, Mr. Powell joined C.H. Powell Company, founded in 1919. Today, he is CEO and has given more than 50 years of service to the company.

In March 2002, Mr. Powell assumed the NCBFAA Chairmanship after serving two terms as NCBFAA President. He is currently a member of the NCBFAA Security Committee. NCBFAA comprises about 870 member firms across the country-all of them involved in international transportation and related services. Before being elected to his first term as president in 1998, Powell served as vice president and chairman of the Forwarding Committee of the association. In those positions, he testified before both houses of Congress on the Shipping Reform Act of 1998.

Furthermore, Powell has been directly involved with CBP as it continues to develop automated reporting of commodity and transport export data. In addition to his roles with C.H. Powell Company and NCBFAA, Mr. Powell serves as Executive Committee member, TSA Liaison Committee member; member, Foreign Commerce Club; member, Board of Directors of The National Industrial Transportation League; member, Coalition for Airline Security; member, COAC Trade Support Network (TSN) Security Subcommittee; and also serves on the Maritime Committee.

Mr. Powell has three adult children, 12 grandchildren, and lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Leonard M. Shayne - April 22, 2009

Leonard Shayne was born in New York City on Sept 29, 1920 and attended NY Public Schools. He retired from the forwarding business in 1999, but had an extensive career in the business before retiring. From 1945, after returning home from serving during WWII, Mr. Shayne joined the family business, Leading Forwarders, and stayed there until 1996, when the company’s operations ceased. In the span of these 52 years, Mr. Shayne became the president of Leading Forwarders Inc., Leading Export Service Corp., Via Sea Carrier Corp. & of various subsidiaries of the company.

During his time in the business, Mr. Shayne was an active member of various trade associations. From 1969 until 1974, he was President of National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA), acting during his term to convene the Association’s first Government Affairs and Annual Conferences, a tradition started by Mr. Shayne and carried on by the Association to this day. Additionally, Mr. Shayne oversaw the merging of the New York Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association and the Customs Broker and Forwarders Association to become the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America in 1969. After the end of his term as President of NCBFAA, Mr. Shayne became the Chairman of the Board of the Association in 1974. Leonard also served as Chairman of the Customs Committee of the American Association of Importers and Exporters (AAIE), Member of the Board of Governors and Director of the New York Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association, Member of the Board of Governors of the World Trade Club of the World Trade Center, and Vice President of the International Association of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA).

Mr. Shayne received his BS from the School of Business at Columbia University in 1941 and was a lecturer in foreign trade at Baruch School of Business and Civic Administration at the College of the City of New York. He was also a contributing editor to such important trade publications as the American Import and Export Bulletin. Mr. Shayne wass also an accomplished author having written a memoir, "Not All Importers-Exporters Are Crooks."

Paul Wegener – April 9, 2008

Information to follow.

Harvey Isaacs - April 18, 2007

A partner in the law firm of Tompkins & Davidson, LLP, deceased NCBFAA General and Customs Counsel Harvey Isaacs was formerly the senior partner of Siegel, Mandell & Davidson, P.C., a firm dating back to 1926. He was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Customs Law Section, before entering private practice in 1965. He has served as President of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association and Chairman of the ABA Standing Committee on Customs Law.

He was also a member of the Treasury Department "Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the U.S. Customs Service" and a representative on the Customs Service "Mod Act Implementation Committee." A 1957 graduate of the College of the City of New York, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, Harvey graduated cum laude from New York University School of Law in 1964.In the memorial posted on their website, his colleagues at Tompkins & Davidson, LLP echoed our sentiments when they noted:

"Harvey achieved much: his excellence at Stuyvesant High School and Baruch College; his Navy service to his country; his days at New York University Law School, from which he graduated cum laude; caring for his family; running two law firms for almost twenty-five years; and his many years as General Counsel to both, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America and the Northern Border Customs Brokers Association, and his role in helping to foster the modernization of Customs operations in the United States.

Harvey spoke of his initial exposure, fresh out of law school, to the then unfamiliar world of Customs law, which he "truly felt . . . was a front for the CIA." Asked what had been most rewarding to him professionally, "Representing NCBFAA has been the most challenging and satisfying," he said. "Customs brokers are a special breed of client with limitless knowledge of the law and regulations under which they operate. They ensure that all of its counselors remain on their toes."

All of his colleagues, associates and friends who cherished Harvey’s counsel, enjoyed his wit and benefited from his wisdom remember him as a good and decent friend, which, at day’s end, is not bad.

Arthur L. Litman – April 26, 2006

Arthur Litman is a licensed customs broker providing brokerage and consulting services. Mr. Litman recently retired from FedEx Trade Networks, where he served as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance. He started with Castelazo & Associates in 1964 and rose to become President of the company. Castelazo & Associates was acquired in 1991 by Tower Group and later by FedEx.

Active in trade associations, Mr. Litman is currently a Senior Counselor of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America. He is a past president of the International Federation of Customs Brokers Associations, the NCBFAA, and the Foreign Trade Association of Southern California. He served on the board of the American Association of Exporters and Importers for 17 years.

Appointed to the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) when it was chartered in 1988, Mr. Litman has served six two-year terms. While a member of COAC, Mr. Litman was a leader in efforts to move to a monthly payment process for duties and taxes, and during the 9/11 term was active developing C-TPAT and other security measures.

Mr. Litman is an ACE Trade Ambassador and is co-chair of the Trade Support Network Entry Committee. The Entry Committee advises CBP on developing the new ACE entry system. Mr. Litman is active on the TSN and COAC committees advising CBP on 10+2. Mr. Litman represented FedEx on the World Customs Organization’s Private Sector Consultative Group in Brussels, working on the WCO’s SAFE Framework of Standards.

He is a recipient of the Stanley T. Olafson Bronze Plaque Award, the first NCBFAA Centurion Award, the AAEI Trade Warrior Award, CBP’s ACE Award and the Commissioner of Customs Award of Recognition.

Mr. Litman is a licensed customs broker and an attorney admitted to practice in the State of California. He can be reached at (310) 838-4205 or via e-mail at litman@customsadvice.com.